The present disclosure relates to a sheet package, and more particularly to a sheet package that has a package member to protect an exterior of a stack of sheets, and that can be loaded in a printer together with the package member.
Conventionally, a sheet package has been known which stores a stack of sheets in a box-like package member. When the sheets are used for printing, a lid portion of the package member may be opened and folded back to the opposite side and the sheets may be set in the printer together with the packaging member (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-285939). Because this conventional sheet package allows users to handle a plurality of sheets in the unit of a package, the usability is improved. Moreover, because the sheet package can protect sheets inside by covering them with the package member, the sheet package is especially useful when heat-sensitive sheets, which are particularly susceptible to light and heat, are employed.
The conventional sheet package has a rectangular wall portion which extends from a bottom portion in such a way that a shorter side of the rectangular wall portion is in contact with the lower end (the end on the opposite side to an ejection direction of the sheet) of the bottom portion when the package is spread out. When the rectangular wall portion is folded, the wall portion faces the bottom portion on which stacked sheets are to be placed and covers an upper face of the stacked sheets.
However, there has been a problem with the conventional sheet package that, if the size of sheets stored in the sheet package is enlarged, the length in the longitudinal direction of the package member is increased, and thus, a sheet material from which the package member is to be cut out is enlarged. As a result, the amount of sheet material to be cut off to be wasted is also increased. Thus, it may be possible to connect the rectangular wall portion that covers the upper face of the stacked sheets to the side end of the bottom portion (the direction perpendicular to the sheet ejection direction) rather than to the rear end of the bottom portion and to then fold the rectangular wall portion to cover the upper face of the stacked sheets.
However, in a printer in which a sheet package of the above-described structure is set, it is necessary to press the rectangular wall portion of the sheet package by a pressing member provided in the printer in order to press stored sheets against a sheet-feeding roller. Thus, when the rectangular wall portion and the bottom portion are connected via a side end as described above, a problem has arisen that movement of the rectangular wall portion is restricted, and that in consequence the degree of pressing force required for pressing the sheet against the sheet-feeding roller has not been adequate.